Dental cleaning agents are available in various forms on the market and serve primarily to clean the tooth surface and prevent dental and gingival diseases. They usually contain a combination of polishing agents, humectants, surfactants, binders, flavorings and both antimicrobial and fluoride active ingredients. In addition to tooth powders, which play a subordinate role because of their high level of abrasiveness, dental cleaning agents are offered mainly in the form of pastes, creams and translucent or transparent gels. In recent years, liquid dental creams and mouthwashes have also become increasingly important.
It is generally acknowledged that there is a causal relationship between the presence of plaque and in particular calculus and various disease of the gingiva such as cavities, gingivitis, halitosis or periodontitis.
The basis for suitable prophylaxis is considered to be tooth brushing twice or more each day to at least suppress unwanted development of plaque on the tooth surfaces and bacterial invasion of the oral cavity as a whole.
However even a few minutes after tooth brushing the development of a new so-called pellicle layer can be detected on the tooth surface. This is a deposit of proteins from saliva. The pellicle layer is not very objectionable per se for the healthy teeth but then additional microorganisms from the salivary flora begin to grow on the pellicle layer, leading to an increase in the thickness of the resulting biofilm. This is where harmful microorganisms can also begin to grow. A matrix of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) capable of embedding a variety of bacterial species in the tooth surface can then develop. The resulting cell layer is referred to as plaque, which promotes the development of caries. The polysaccharides contained in the plaque in addition to low-molecular sugars form a source of nutrients for the embedded bacteria. These bacteria then gradually degrade the polysaccharides to acidic degradation products such as pyruvic acid and lactic acid. The resulting drop in pH causes degradation of dentin, which is also known as caries.
The uptake and incorporation of inorganic substances (mineral substances) from saliva can result in the formation of dental calculus from the plaque. This cannot usually be removed by a toothbrush. Dental calculus promotes the development of the diseases of the gingiva mentioned above.
EP 2591766 A2 describes an oral and dental care and cleaning agent containing a selected polyamine capable of reducing dental calculus.
However, there is still a need for reducing dental calculus, combatting the resulting diseases and providing active ingredients for this purpose. There is also the goal of improving oral and dental care and cleaning agents accordingly.